Where is Taiwan Cacao? 可可帶路

Where is Taiwan Cacao? Discovering the Island’s Hidden Chocolate Story 可可帶路：發現台灣的風土故事

“What? There are cacao trees in Taiwan?”

Join us for a flavour-filled journey into one of Taiwan’s best-kept secrets. Inspired by this year’s TAIWANfest theme, “Islands in the Wind”, this interactive workshop explores the stories, flavours, and people behind Taiwanese cacao.

Discover how cacao grows in Taiwan, learn how bean-to-bar chocolate is made, and taste chocolate crafted from single-estate Taiwanese cacao. Along the way, enjoy a refreshing iced cacao tea and create your own cacao tea blend to take home.

Hosted by Olivia Wu of YI SHI Cacao Collective, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to experience Taiwan through chocolate. YI SHI 怡室, meaning “joyful room,” creates welcoming spaces where chocolate lovers can connect with cacao farmers, craft chocolate makers, and the stories rooted in the land.

Whether you are a chocolate enthusiast, curious explorer, or lifelong learner, come discover a different side of Taiwan through cacao - a story shaped by island landscapes, cultural connections, and the people who bring chocolate to life.

「什麼？台灣也有可可樹？！」

邀請你踏上這趟細膩的風味之旅，探索台灣土地上鲜為人知的驚喜。配合今年台灣節主題「風中的島嶼」，本場工作坊將帶你走進台灣可可的世界，細品其背後的故事、風味與人文風貌。

在工作坊中，你可以了解可可樹如何在台灣生長，感受這片土地的生命力，認識「從可可豆到巧克力（Bean-to-Bar）」的製作過程，並品嚐來自台灣單一莊園可可打造的工藝巧克力，以及品味一杯清涼舒心的可可茶，並親手調配專屬於你的可可茶款帶回家。

本次活動由 怡室（YI SHI Cacao Collective） 的 Olivia Wu 主持，帶你透過巧克力以全新的視角認識台灣。「怡室」意為「讓人感到怡然自得、滿心喜悅的舒適空間」，我們希望建立一個溫馨的交流平台，讓巧克力愛好者能在此與可可農夫、職人以及土地的故事相遇。

無論你是巧克力重度者、熱愛探索新事物的朋友，或是喜歡細細品味生活的日常玩家，歡迎與我們透過可可感受台灣的另一種面貌：這是一段由海島風情、文化連結與職人精神共同築成的故事。

This program is part of TAIWANfest

 

About the Artist

Olivia Wu is the founder of YI SHI Cacao Collective, a Vancouver-based initiative dedicated to connecting people through bean-to-bar chocolate, storytelling, and education. Through thoughtfully curated tastings, workshops, and collaborations, she highlights the flavours, people, and places behind craft chocolate, with a particular focus on Taiwanese cacao.

A certified chocolate taster through the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting (IICCT), Olivia combines over a decade of culinary experience with hands-on cacao knowledge gained through tree-to-bar training, cacao harvesting, fermentation, and extensive farm visits in Taiwan. Her work is rooted in a deep appreciation for the relationship between land, culture, and flavour.

As a bridge between Taiwan’s cacao-growing communities and Vancouver’s chocolate lovers, Olivia collaborates closely with cacao farmers and craft chocolate makers to share the stories behind every bar. Her partnership with Kasama Chocolate has led to the creation of several chocolates, including the Changzhi 70% bar, crafted with cacao from Meya Farm in Pingtung, Taiwan. The bar received Silver awards at the 2025 International Chocolate Awards in both the Americas competition and the World Final.

YI SHI (怡室) means “joyful room” - a welcoming space for learning, discovery, and meaningful connections through chocolate.

Olivia Wu 是怡室（YI SHI Cacao Collective）的創辦人。一家位於溫哥華的品牌，致力於透過「從可可豆到巧克力（Bean-to-Bar）」的教育推廣，將人們凝聚在一起。她透過精心策劃的品嚐會、工作坊與跨界合作，展現巧克力背後的風味、人文與風土，並聚焦於台灣可可。

Olivia 擁有國際可可與巧克力品鑑學院（IICCT）認證的巧克力品鑑師資格。她將十多年的餐飲經驗，與在台灣深入參與可可採收、發酵、走訪農場及「從樹到巧克力（Tree-to-Bar）」培訓所累積的知識相互結合。她的創作理念深植於對土地、文化與風味之間連結的深刻體悟。

作為連接台灣可可種植社群與溫哥華巧克力愛好者的橋樑，Olivia 與可可農夫及工藝巧克力職人緊密合作，傳遞每一塊巧克力背後的故事。她與 Kasama Chocolate 的合作更催生了數款經典巧克力，其中包括嚴選台灣屏東美亞農場可可豆打造的「長治 70% 巧克力（Changzhi 70%）」。該款巧克力亦於 2025 年世界巧克力大賽（International Chocolate Awards）的美洲區決賽與全球總決賽中，雙雙榮獲銀牌肯定。

「怡室」意指「讓人感到怡然自得、滿心喜悅的舒適空間」：這是一個讓人們能透過巧克力展開學習、探索，並建立深厚而有意義的連結的空間。